Lobbying and Lobbyists

Brendan Smialowski for The New York Times

News about Lobbying and Lobbyists, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Jul. 21, 2015

Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush outlines government overhaul plan that includes reducing federal work force by 10 percent and six-year waiting period before member of Congress can lobby on Capitol Hill. MORE

Jul. 20, 2015

Criminal case against General Motors over deadly ignition defect is running up against legal loopholes that will make it difficult to prosecute individuals within company; intense lobbying from auto industry was key factor in establishing high legal standards for prosecution; regulatory oversight of industry has also been slowly watered down over the years. MORE

Jul. 16, 2015

Marilyn B Tavenner, former Obama administration official in charge of HealthCare.gov rollout, is appointed president and chief executive of trade group America’s Health Insurance Plans; move makes Tavenner top lobbyist for nation's health insurance industry. MORE

Jul. 8, 2015

CVS Health Corp says it will resign from United States Chamber of Commerce in wake of reports that chamber and foreign affiliates are engaging in worldwide lobbying campaign against antismoking laws. MORE

Jul. 1, 2015

United States Chamber of Commerce and its overseas affiliates are powerful ally of tobacco industry, working around world to battle antismoking laws; supporting tobacco lobby is priority for world's largest trade group; industry faces peril from global treaty backed by World Health Organization, as well as new flurry of legislation worldwide. MORE

Jun. 4, 2015

Nicholas Kristof Op-Ed column warns that class of chemicals known as PFASs have become ubiquitous in consumer products despite their known cancer risk; argues they are 'poster child' for lax chemical regulation in the United States, where vast majority of 80,000 chemicals have never been tested for health effects; laments that chemical industry has spent some $190 million on lobbying in last three years. MORE

May. 29, 2015

James B Stewart Common Sense column examines growing power of technology companies like Netflix as they repeatedly lobby for and benefit from Obama administration's regulation of media industry and its embrace of net neutrality; holds Netflix has had a particularly strong voice in policies affecting long-entrenched telecommunication and cable interests. MORE

May. 28, 2015

Nicholas Kristof Op-Ed column notes problems related to campaign finance transparency have become endemic in American politics, and blames perverse incentives, rather than individuals; points out familiar problem has grown far worse amid preponderance of billionaires and super PACs they fund; calls on Pres Obama to issue executive order requiring federal contractors to disclose all political contributions ahead of 2016 presidential election. MORE

May. 19, 2015

Critics say EPA may have violated federal law on grass-roots lobbying by orchestrating public support for proposal to protect nation's drinking water; argue that environmental groups had inappropriately influenced social media campaign, in which agency was flooded with positive comments that were then used to justify new policy; tactics are viewed, at minimum, as highly unusual. MORE

May. 13, 2015

New York State Joint Commission on Public Ethics contacts political group Campaign for One New York, which was created to raise money and awareness for political agenda of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, to ask why it has not yet registered as lobbyist. MORE

May. 4, 2015

Environmental Protection Agency faces strong opposition as it prepares to establish first robust regulation of formaldehyde in consumer products; five-year effort to adopt new rules highlights how industry opposition can hamper regulation even when substances are known to be deeply harmful; key elements of proposal have already been eliminated amid lobbying effort. MORE

Apr. 25, 2015

Comcast terminates its effort to acquire Time Warner Cable after learning that government regulators were preparing to block merger; despite expensive lobbying campaign, company received muted reception on Capitol Hill, with unconvinced members of Congress sending subtle but clear signs to regulators not to clear deal; lawmakers cite variety of reasons for why Comcast's pitch failed. MORE

Apr. 25, 2015

Op-Ed article by New America senior fellow Lee Drutman submits that increasing funding to Congress and its research arms is better way to counter corporate influence in government than caps on corporate spending on political influence; holds that low government salaries result in high turnover rate among committee staff members, who often leave to become lobbyists; says solution is not to reduce number of lobbyists but to balance them on government side. MORE

Apr. 7, 2015

Opposition to state religious freedom law by sports groups in Indiana was motivated by desire to keep state welcoming to industry that has fueled recovery from economic decline; groups, including NCAA and several professional leagues, were key factor in pressuring Republican state legislature to amend provisions that had been widely viewed as antigay. MORE

Apr. 6, 2015

Review of letters from organizations around country urging Federal Communications Commission to approve Comcast Corporation's proposed takeover of Time Warner Cable shows many organizations them received donations from Comcast; company and its aggressive lobbying operation have created vast network of allies to help it in its goal, but analysts note effort has been less successful than previous one for acquisition of NBCUniversal. MORE

Mar. 29, 2015

Ginia Bellafante Big City column examines efforts of New York-based Hedge Fund Clippers, growing activist organization that aims to expose damage wrought on economy by hedge fund practices, and how funds extend damage through outsized political influence; observes that group is backed by the American Federation of Teachers and former New York City mayoral candidate Zephyr Teachout. MORE

Feb. 13, 2015

Trinity Industries has been lobbying more intensely over past few years as safety worries over its guardrails have increased; over 30 states have banned their installation; firm is one of biggest donors to attorney general political causes, as it attempts to gain allies to prove guardrail design is safe. MORE

Dec. 30, 2014

Documents turned over to Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington relating to FBI inquiry into former Sen John E Ensign show more brazen side to Ensign's actions; also show decision by Justice Dept not to file criminal charges against Ensign were due to fears of losing public corruption case in wake of other high-profile failures; Ensign was investigated for attempting to secure lobbying work for former aide Douglas Hampton, with whose wife he had had an affair. MORE

Dec. 27, 2014

Bipartisan effort is emerging in state legislatures and major professional associations to change way state attorneys general interact with lobbyists, campaign donors and other corporate representatives; actions are aimed at preventing lawyers and lobbyists from shutting down investigations or enlisting attorneys general as partners in litigation. MORE

Dec. 19, 2014

Burgeoning industry matches plaintiffs’ lawyers with mostly Democratic attorneys general to sue companies, setting off an intense competition among trial lawyers and lobbyists to influence these officials; private lawyers, while trolling for contracts, have also donated tens of thousands of dollars to attorneys general campaigns; emails and lawyer contracts obtained by New York Times from attorneys general in 15 states show how alliances have jumbled roles in legal profession (Series: Courting Favor). MORE

Dec. 15, 2014

Senate clears $1.1 trillion spending package that is once again filled with provisions to satisfy special interests; riders include major victories for companies that provide food for school lunches, cattle farmers, Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Las Vegas casinos and several others; bill is headed to Pres Obama for his signature. MORE

Dec. 9, 2014

Missouri Atty Gen Chris Koster defends himself against allegations that his office did favors for companies that contributed to his political campaigns and lobbied him directly. MORE

Dec. 7, 2014

Email exchange from October 2011 between Oklahoma Atty Gen Scott Pruitt and Devon Energy official William F Whitsitt offers insight into unprecedented secret alliance between Republican attorneys general and some of nation's top energy producers; alliance was formed to push back against Obama regulatory agenda (Series: Courting Favor). MORE

Nov. 22, 2014

Rhode Island officials are investigating whether former Atty Gen Patrick C Lynch violated state lobbying rules by appealing to former colleagues on behalf of Caesars Entertainment Casino, among other corporate clients; Lynch had not been registered as lobbyist. MORE

Nov. 21, 2014

Editorial expresses alarm that entire industry has sprung up to lobby state attorneys general on behalf of companies under scrutiny, or that need special legal benefits from a state; urges state lawmakers to expand lobbying laws to cover attorneys general and to put lower limits on how much donor can give to attorney general's campaign. MORE

Nov. 20, 2014

Missouri Atty Gen Chris Koster announces curbs on campaign contributions from companies he has targeted for investigation; contender for governor in 2016 has been criticized for possibly giving preferential treatment to contributors and lobbyists. MORE

Nov. 10, 2014

Continuing investigation by The New York Times into relationship between private lawyers and state attorneys general reveals that Florida Atty Gen Pam Bondi invited lobbyist Lori Kalani to recuperate at her home after surgery; Kalani is attorney with Dickstein Shapiro, Washington-based firm specializing in building personal relationships with state attorneys general to help corporate clients avoid becoming targets of investigation. MORE

Nov. 2, 2014

A monthly political fund-raiser draws Republican members of the House Financial Services Committee and Wall Street lobbyists willing to read a book, and make a contribution, in exchange for access. MORE

Oct. 31, 2014

Political consultant Richard Berman says oil and gas industry officials, if they want to prevent opponents from slowing their efforts to drill in more places, need to exploit emotions like fear and greed and turn them against environmental groups. MORE

Oct. 30, 2014

Speaker Tim Jones of Missouri House of Representatives is preparing to create special bipartisan investigation into State Attorney General Chris Koster to examine if money donated to Koster by lobbyists may have influenced the outcome of consumer fraud cases. MORE

Oct. 29, 2014

Attorneys general across nation are being aggressively pursued by lobbyists who use campaign contributions, personal appeals at lavish conferences and other means to push them to drop investigations, negotiate favorable settlements or pressure federal regulators; robust industry of lobbyists and lawyers has blossomed as attorneys general join to conduct multistate investigations and push into areas as diverse as securities fraud and Internet crimes. MORE

Oct. 8, 2014

Editorial highlights accidental Internet disclosure in September showing influx of corporate money into governors' offices around country via social welfare groups with purpose of raising secret political money; contends that there is no legal justification for any political party to have social welfare group; warns that whether money is secret or disclosed, both Democrats and Republicans are routinely selling access to nations governors and their staffs to those with most resources. MORE

Sep. 29, 2014

Open federal contract to route phone calls and text messages in United States has prompted an unusual lobbying battle; winning company could replace Neustar as entity that essentially acts as air traffic controller for nation's phone system; Federal Communications Commission has recommended Swedish-based company Ericsson, but intelligence officials say foreign entity could put nation's surveillance secrets at risk. MORE

Sep. 25, 2014

The Upshot; technology industry has spent $71 million so far in 2014 on lobbying, and spent $141 million in 2013; industry ranks near bottom of annual list that attempts to grade large corporations on how well they voluntarily and publicly disclose political activities; lack of transparency serves to obscure fact that Silicon Valley's relationship with Washington has become much cozier. MORE

Sep. 18, 2014

House is considering rule that would require prominent think tanks to disclose funding by foreign governments; expresses concern they may be covertly trying to push donor agendas. MORE

Sep. 13, 2014

Rep Frank R Wolf, Republican of Virginia, writes letter to president of Brookings Institution saying that prominent Washington think tanks that routinely provide Congress with policy advice should refrain from taking foreign government donations; Brookings collects about 12 percent of its annual budget from foreign governments. MORE

Sep. 7, 2014

New York Times investigation finds that more than dozen prominent Washington research groups have received tens of millions of dollars from foreign governments in recent years while pushing United States government officials to adopt policies that often reflect donors' priorities; money is increasingly transforming once-staid think-tank world into muscular arm of foreign governments' lobbying in Washington. MORE

Aug. 13, 2014

Obama administration rolls back part of its ban on lobbyists serving in government, narrowing one of the president’s signature policies in the face of a legal challenge. MORE

Jul. 20, 2014

Mark Leibovich Your Fellow Americans column contends Eric Cantor is the latest example of Washington's upward-falling, golden-parachuted, everybody-wins calculus; notes that Cantor is likely to become lobbyist after his humiliating defeat in Virginia Republican primary; maintains it is notable that the same qualities people blame for Cantor's loss are the ones that make him such a prized recruit as a lobbyist. MORE

Jul. 16, 2014

Records filed with New York State show Campaign for One New York, lobbying group set up by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio's campaign strategists, spent close to $1.7 million in first half of 2014 to promote his agenda and accomplishments. MORE

Jul. 15, 2014

Campaign for One New York, lobbying group created by New York Mayor Bill de Blasio's strategists to promote his plans for prekindergarten, is branching out to advocate other aspects of his agenda; lobbying groups set up to support specific elected official can accept contributions of unlimited size and have to disclose only large ones, months later. MORE

Jul. 14, 2014

The audit firm agreed to pay $4 million to settle accusations by the S.E.C. that it broke independence rules with appeals to Congress on behalf of auditing clients. MORE

Jul. 5, 2014

Editorial lambasts members of Congress for taking more free trips financed by special interests in 2014 than in any other year, all while accomplishing little in way of legislation; says lawmakers have defended trips as necessary for fact-finding; contends that Congress members should appeal to taxpayers to finance these efforts, move that might result in such trips actually being spent working. MORE

Jun. 14, 2014

Editorial warns that Koch Companies Public Sector, part of industrial group owned by the Koch brothers, has hired big-name firm to lobby Congress on campaign-finance issues in attempt to thwart limits on campaign spending; holds that Koch brothers will likely use their influence to push fossil fuels and stymie proposed wind credit; says situation is perfect illustration of power of cumulative cash in Washington. MORE

May. 7, 2014

Federal Bureau of Investigation is examining fund-raising and lobbying activities of associates of Kansas Gov Sam Brownback following allegations that some of his current and former staff members have acted improperly in soliciting campaign donations; Brownback denies wrongdoing, but investigation may effect his re-election. MORE

May. 7, 2014

Survey conducted by nonprofit group Transparify finds that both liberal and conservative think-tank organizations in Washington share poor records of disclosing their sources of financing; survey is part of push for transparency in institutions that help shape public policy. MORE

May. 3, 2014

Twenty-two entities vying to build casinos in New York State are spending heavily on lobbyists and making significant political contributions, including some $55,000 to Gov Andrew M Cuomo; intense competition reflects one of last underdeveloped gambling markets in the nation, where casino license could be a golden ticket to billions in profits. MORE

May. 3, 2014

White House state dinner held for France features, for first time, bouquets of domestically grown flowers; change is result of pressure by American cut-flower lobby, who argued that Michelle Obama should give flowers the same local-sourcing attention she gives food and wine. MORE

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The E.P.A. is close to imposing restrictions on the use of the chemical in wood products. But the furniture industry, with the help of some members of Congress, has been trying to get the proposed new rule scaled back. Here is a look at that effort.

Since 2012, when allegations surfaced that there might be a safety flaw in a highway guardrail system manufactured by Trinity, the company has significantly expanded its lobbying of state attorneys general, who have the power to investigate and possibly sue the company. Here is a look at parts of that effort.